It’s clear that charges against Muslim Brotherhood members are politically motivated since there is a vendetta between the military-backed authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood and it’s playing out in courts, journalist Shahira Amin told RT.

RT:The trial against the Muslim Brotherhood
head Mohammed Badie, has proved to be very difficult, with
several judging panels refusing to carry on with the case. What
do you expect of tomorrow's session?

Shahira Amin: I’m hoping that justice will
prevail. We’ve seen justice is elusive in most of the trials
since June 30. Just a few weeks ago we had the trial en masse,
where more than 500 Muslim Brotherhood supporters were sentenced
to death. Shocking. We really need to see justice prevail because
it’s obvious that the courts are politicized and the Muslim
Brotherhood figures are not getting a fair trial.

RT:There are some serious charges brought
against Badie and fellow Muslim Brotherhood members, including
plots to seize power and kidnap the presidential candidate,
General Sisi. Wouldn't they be prosecuted in any other country
for that?

SA: It certainly appears that these charges are
politically motivated, they are baseless and it’s just very
obvious that there is this vendetta between the military-backed
authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood and it’s playing out in
courts. Courts are being used to settle the political scores,
unfortunately.

RT:How much attention is the trial
receiving in the local media?

SA: It is being covered but it’s not headlines
here because every other day we have a trial. There are thousands
of Muslim Brotherhood figures behind bars and so it is not
getting the attention it deserves.

RT:Egypt's been in disarray ever since the
country came to 'democracy' in February 2011. Could it be that
the system just can't work in your country?

SA: Democracy has been elusive. The January 25
revolution was a revolution for democratic reforms, for
anticorruption, bread, social justice, freedom, but democracy has
just been an elusive dream ever since. We have certainly seen a
rolling back of constitutional freedoms, mass arrests of
political dissidents and you have one segment of the population
marginalized and excluded from politics and public life. This
certainly does not go well for stability. But if you talk about
Western-style democracy, I am afraid that we have seen the West
apply double standards when it comes to the Arab Spring. They
supported Mubarak for 30 years and were hesitant to lend their
support to the revolutionaries in Tahrir Square. They also
supported the military coup that toppled Egypt’s first
democratically elected president. So do not talk to me about
Western democracy dictated by corporate interests.

I think the democracy that we hope to see here in Egypt will be a
home-grown democracy, with the activists continuing to push for
reforms and constitutional rule in this country.

RT:Under the current government the
prosecution has not only been after Muslim Brotherhood members
but also journalists including foreign reporters. Why are Western
governments turning a blind eye to that?

SA: There has been a lot of international
denunciation of the case of the detained Al-Jazeera journalists,
but certainly not enough pressure has been applied for their
release. They have been labeled ‘terrorists’ or accused
of aiding a terrorist organization when they were simply doing
their work. The trials have been a farce. I have attended all of
them. Tomorrow there will be another trial session. We are hoping
to see justice prevail in this case and we hope to see the four
Al-Jazeera journalists walk free.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.